If any of the Cape Town crowd is free on Sept 1 around lunch time, it would be great to have a coffee with you at the airport , or if anyone stays near Melkbosstrand it would be lovely to meet you there.

We would be very grateful if all you regular KTP visitors could give us "Newbies" any tips that you think we should know.

We read TRs that have given us some info, and read the relevant threads on the Arid Parks forum, but there's nothing like first hand advice.

We will be staying in one of the disabled units in TR and plan to braai most nights.(We will maybe try the restaurant one evening)

I have arranged to email Pick n Pay Upington before we arrive and they have kindly offered to vacuum pack and freeze our meat order, and also do the grocery/veg/fruit shop for us, so that it is just ready to pick up.

It's not easy to do a big shop when in a wheelchair...SO finds it difficult to push me and the trolley at the same time, so to have it done will be wonderful.

Well we're now on count down........53 sleeps till we leave home!!

As I said, all advice will be very welcome, and Iwelook forward to hearing from all you WCNP or KTP regulars.

Aug 31stWell we were all packed and ready, had talked kindly to the house, because we would be away for 6 months, and then the taxi arrived!!!

We had a clear run up the M4 to Heathrow (Terminal 5) and then after a quick check in, we settled down in the Executive Lounge, where Dungie proceeded to fill his plate full of goodies, and I had a packet of crisps.

Disabled assistance eventually came to fetch us, and escorted us to the gate, where we were boarded onto the plane, which was unfortunately almost an hour late departing!

Sept 1stAfter a very pleasant flight, we finally arrived to lovely sunny weather in Joburg, and almost missed our connection to Cape Town, but luckily we just made it!!!

We arrived at a very cold Cape Town, but we were delighted to find that DinkyBird and Hawk, had braved the weather to come and meet us.

We spent a very pleasant hour or so with them, having coffee and catching up, and then they very kindly helped us to the car hire area, which is a huge walk from the terminal building!!

We drove via the Waterfront (by mistake…….missed a turn somewhere) to Melkbosstrand, where we were staying overnight in a very pleasant Guest House.

P@m had arranged a Cape Town meet, for us at the nearby Spur Steak Ranch, and so we set off in a force nine gale (at least it seemed like it!!)

There we met P@m & SO, Caracal, Scouter and family, Rookie, and Bush Baptist & SO. It was so good to meet them all after a year of reading their trip reports, and having the odd disagreement with BB, but I can honestly say he is such a nice guy (though maybe now I’ve blown his cover!!)

The meal was delish, and all too soon it was time to leave…….at least we would have left, but at that moment the gale produced buckets full of rain, so we had to wait till it had at least died down a bit!!

Eventually we all decided to make a run for it, and said our quick goodbyes, and promises of future meetings.

Then it was home to the Guest House, a good night’s sleep, and then we woke to sunshine!!

Sept 2ndSadly the sunshine didn’t last, and as we left the Guest House down came the rain again, and then we had sun and scattered showers all the way up to The West Coast National Park, which was to be the start of an amazing 2 week trip.

We checked in at the gate, and had absolutely no problem using our Wildcard Confirmation letter, (though I’m reliably informed that ours has just arrived, so will be able to use it in Kruger)

We were staying at Abrahamskraal, which is a self catering cottage near the bird hide.It sleeps six, and is very comfortable and well equipped. If we had realised how cold it was going to be, we would have brought wood and built a roaring fire in the huge fireplace.

Outside the back door there was a huge tree with loads of weaver nests, and the busy little things were coming and going, and chattering and nattering.We also saw a grey heron pass by, and there was a male and a female ostrich not far away!!

Late morning the sun came out, which lifted our spirits, and we decided to take a drive to Postberg, to see the flowers, just in case the weather was bad the following day.

It was a weak sun, so the flowers were only partly out, but even so…………wow!!We’ve heard about the Spring Flowers, but this was simply stunning!!!Maybe tomorrow, the sun would shine more, and then the flowers would open even further...........

We also saw some wildlife, and after a pleasant few hours, drove home for our sundowners, and a chicken stir fry and noodles, followed by lemon cheesecake.

As it was so cold, bed seemed the best place, and after reading our books for a while the eyelids were drooping, so we turned out the light.

There were some strange sounds coming form outside, but it wasn’t long before the sun was rising, and we had another day to look forward to.

Sept 4thWe woke to a wonderfully sunny day, and after we had checked that everything was packed, we set of on our journey to KTP!!!

Being Poms, and not used to driving the huge distances that you Saffies are used to, we had decided to make stay overs at Clanwilliam, Calvinia and Upington, and spent three enjoyable days travelling through areas carpeted with flowers.

Sept 7thToday was the day…….we were finally going to KTP!!!!

We had emailed Pick n Pay, to have an order ready for us, but somehow it has gone astray, but never fear…….Jeremie the owner met us at his office, and within 20 mins our order was bought and paid for, and packed away in our little car. He even went home to get his cool box which he loaned us, as ours had died!! Thank you Jeremie.

Then it was up the R360, and imagine the thrill when we read the signs “Red Dune Route”The famous red sand of the Kalahari!!!!

After an uneventful drive we eventually saw it in the distance……………Twee Rivieren.We were here, and we had a glorious seven days to explore this fascinating place.

I had a modest wish list this time, and we had no sooner sat down outside our unit, when the first one appeared!!

Sept 7th (cont)As I said, we had no longer sat down outside our unit when this lovely crimson breasted shrike landed in the tree nearby.

Of course by the time I had got my camera out it had flown off, and I know that it can be very difficult to film them, so imagine my joy when it returned soon after, and landed on the ground.

Snap……..and there I had a picture, and crossed a name off my wishlist.

We were very tired from our few days drive from C Town to KTP, so decided to have an early braai and bed.

Dungie cooked us some delicious fillet steak and wors, that we had bought in Pick n Pay, and as we sat waiting, we were visited by a red eyed bulbul, a white browed sparrow weaver (I think!!) both lifers, and a glossy starling.

Then we saw movement by the braai, and spotted a yellow mongoose (a first for us both) It was so cute, and looked up at so so expectantly, but of course we had to send him away with no food in his tummy!!

After our scrummy braai, we made a terrible discovery……………..we forgotten to buy any Amarula in Upington, and the camp shop was now closed!!!

Oh well, no use crying over spilt Amarula, so we had another glass of wine each, looked up at the amazing African sky, listened to the almost silence, and hit the sack.

We were now really excited, couldn’t wait for the morning, so that we could start exploring this wonderful place………………was that a lion roaring?

Sept 8thWe woke as the sun was rising, and after a quick shower, we made a flask of coffee, and got into the car.

This was to be our first ever visit in to the Kgalagadi and boy were we excited!!!

I had already crossed a bird off my wish list, and although I had a small unofficial list, it would not spoil things if we didn’t see any of them!!

Just to be here was enough, with the red sand dunes and the total tranquillity.

We picked up our permit at the gate, and then set off into the park.

We had only gone a few kilometres when I saw a bird from the list!!!One of the strangest looking things we’d ever seen……..yes, of course it was a secretary bird!!!

Only problem was, he was on a mission to walk as fast as he could, so it was difficult to get a photo!!! However I persevered and eventually got a reasonable shot.

Off we set to the Samevloeing waterhole to have our coffee, and there having an early morning sip were some Springbok and Gemsbok……..both on my list!!

Yes I know, they’re very easily seen, but we had not seen them before, as they don’t live in Kruger!!!

We didn’t realise how long those Gemmies horns are, and those Springbok are so graceful……similar to my lovely impala, but somehow more regal.

We drove off from the waterhole very pleased with ourselves, but then as can often happen we saw nothing for quite a while.

We were approaching Leeudril waterhole however, when we saw a sight to behold…….. a huge male lion, just walking near to the roadside.

He appeared to have no cares and just glanced at us, before moving on. He eventually waked a bit further off road, and flopped down under the shade of a nearby tree, and there I believe he stayed for most of the day!!

By now it was getting hot, and we had some laundry to do (boring I know, but essential!!) so we started a slow drive back to camp.

Up in a tree there was something white…..and with great excitement we remembered that Caracal who we had met at the CT meet, had said that if we wanted to see a Pygmy Falcon to look up in the trees for a blob of white!!!

There it was, our first PF, and it was such a thrill. Such a beautiful little bird……wow!!!We saw a tree on our left with two huge sociable weaver nests, but on top there was another nest. There appeared to be nothing in it at first, but then a little white head popped up!!!

We thought it may be a Martial Eagle nest, and that would be junior, but no sign of the parents that morning.

We made a note to check this nest each time we passed, as believe it or not, in 35 years of visiting Kruger we have yet to see a Martial Eagle.

A few kms along we saw a brightly coloured bird fly past and land in a nearby tree.

Imagine our excitement when we realised it was a Swallow Tailed Bee Eater.I have seen pictures of these beautiful birds, but to see one close up was awesome.

I think all bee eaters are stunning, but this one must be the best.

We saw some more Springbok and Gemsbok on our way back to camp, where we made a visit to the shop to buy a large bottle of Amarula, and then set about doing a large pile of dirty washing!!

Sept 8th cont.After putting the Amarula in the fridge, making a sandwich, and having a snooze, we decided to drive to the SV waterhole, to see if anything was thirsty.

A few boks were there, and a bird lifer…………later to be identified as a red headed finch.

On our way back to camp we spotted a yellow ribbon, and were delighted to meet Kesheshe and SO.

We arranged to visit them after dinner for a drink and a chat, so went back to our unit and threw some Texan pork steaks and wors on the braai.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours with Kesheshe and SO……such a nice couple, and we were only sorry that we didn’t manage to link up again before we left.We also apologise to them for delaying their dinner, as they hadn't eaten before we arrived!!

Then it was back to our unit, and a coffee and an Amarula, a recap of our amazing day, and then bed………….with the promise of a whole new day in Kgalagadi tomorrow.

Today we decided to explore the Mata Mata road to see what it might reveal to us, so we had some coffee, and cold wors, and set of with eager anticipation!!

Sadly the road is not in a very good condition at the moment, so we bumped along, and wondered how much of this we could stand, before we turned back!!!

One old gentleman amused us, when we stopped to speak at a sighting (more of that later) by telling us that when they set out on this road, he puts his dentures in his pocket!!

Anyway, we persevered, and began to see Springbok and Gemsbok by the dozens, and also some nice groupings of Wildebeest, so we decided to continue onwards.

We had passed the first waterhole, when Dungie suddenly said “What’s that there? Look just off the road?”

I peered to where he was pointing, and joy of joys………….number one on my list!!Two little meerkats were digging in the sand, and occasionally sitting up to see if there was any danger about!!

I know meerkats are a modest wish, but you don’t see them in Kruger, and I have only ever seen photos, or watched them on TV, so this was a real find.

We had spoken to several people who had been in the park for a week of more and had not seen any, so we felt very privileged to be watching them now.

We spent some time with them, and then they crossed the road and joined the rest of their Family, scuttling off in to the distance all too soon!!

On we went, and soon met the old gentleman minus his dentures!!He gave us a gummy grin, and said there is something in the distance there.I can’t decide whether it’s bat eared foxes, or aardwolf!!

Well either would suit us, so we waited, and eventually managed to get a photo, though it’s not a very good one.

We showed it to Jannie at a later date, and he said definitely bat eared fox………..so another tick on the list!!!

By this time we were very happy with our morning’s drive, so decided to return to camp.

Before we arrived back though we saw another bird on the list…….namely a paler chanting goshawk, some dear little squirrels and as we approached TR there was a magnificent black shouldered kite just taking off.

So it was a lazy afternoon, and a quick drive to SV waterhole that evening, and then back for another lekker braai.

This was followed by some ice cream, and then our usual coffee and Amarula!!!

As on previous evenings, the night was still, and the sky was filled with stars, and we again thought “Does it get much better than this?”Magic!!!!

Sept 10thAnother beautiful day was dawning, and we thought that we would give the bumpy road a miss, and explore the Nossob road further.

(I must say at this point, that though we had absolutely no problems with our little hired sedan, next time we visit, we will hire a 4x4 and then we can explore further afield from TR!!)

We had our cup of coffee at the SV waterhole, and our usual friends came to visit…….Springbok, Gemsbok, red headed finches and a beautiful crimson breasted shrike.

We proceeded on our journey, and as we approached the martial eagle nest, I got goosebumps, because not only was junior popping his little head up, but mother eagle was there as well!!! Wow and wow!!!

Now a lot of you will think……sad, this woman is getting excited over a martial eagle, but even after 35 years of visiting KNP, I have never seen one, and this was amazing!!

We switched off the engine, and sat watching them, and what unfolded was a story!!

Junior stood up and flapped his wings as much as to say “Mum I think I’m ready!!”, but mother eagle just gave him a quick peck, and he sat down again!! WE could imagine her saying “No dear not yet, sit down and be a good boy!! (or girl)

This was repeated several times, and then junior realised he was on a losing streak and promptly sat down again!!

What a wonderful interlude, and a privilege to watch.

We drove on and no sooner had we started, than a beautiful male lion (possibly the same one that we had seen on the first day) appeared.

He soon sauntered off towards the dunes, so we turned round to return to TR.

On our way we saw two pretty swallow tailed bee eaters, and many springbok and gemsbok.(I would have posted photos of these, but sadly my weak signal is not allowing me to upload photos very easily, and I am prioritising with things like the BEFoxes and meerkats etc!)

We arrived back at our unit in time for a late snack lunch, and as I sat down outside to eat my sarnie, I though whatever is that funny lump in our tree?

It didn’t look like a bird………..wrong shape I thought, but after investigation we realised that it was a pearl spotted owlet!!! Wow oh wow oh wow!!! Another lifer!!

I managed to get a quick (and not very good photo) before it flew off in disgust at having been disturbed!!

Sept 10th cont.We decided to brave the bumpy road, for our late afternoon drive, and what a good idea that was!!!

Near the first waterhole we saw our meerkats again, and on the way home we saw movement under a tree, and found two magnificent lions male and female. They were so relaxed, and we spent half an hour with them, before realising that we would miss the gate closing if we weren’t careful!

As we came near to TR a kori bustard walked across the road, and sitting up in a tree was a beautiful namaqua dove.

Then it was back to camp and chicken hotpot, creamy mash potatoes, butternut and gems!!

Dungie then made the coffee and poured the Amarulas (large for him…..small for me!!) and we reflected on another amazing day, in this place called Kgalagadi!!

As some of you know, due to a weak signal with Vodacom 3G, I am battling to upload my photos to Flickr so that I can post them here on the forums in my TR!!!

Therefore I am just going to combine the last few days, and post what I have!!

Maybe when I’m home I can start a new topic “My photo a day from Kgalagadi” or something similar!!

Sept 11th, 12th, 13th 14th.We never saw the adult martial again, but junior was always in the nest when we drove past.

We saw our lions again, but no cheetahs or leopard, though we were told that we had just missed 8 cheetah one morning!!! They were near Leeuwdril, but had run off into the dunes, just before we arrived!!! Also missed a leopard by 10 minutes near SV waterhole.

We saw large paw prints just outside our unit one morning, and then heard from Jannie, that a Leopard had been seen………..so had it taken a walk past our car in the night!!!

Talking of Jannie, we had brought blankets and socks, for the local community, and Caracal had crocheted the most beautiful blanket which she called her Sanparks blanket, because she had done most of the work on it, while in some on the parks!!

We wanted to pass these on to Jannie, so eventually tracked him down and invited him and his lovely family, to share an evening meal.

It was so good to finally meet The KG, and we all had a very pleasant evening (at least Dungie and I did, and hope that the others did as well!!)

He got quite excited when a dassie paid us a visit, as it was not meant to be there apparently. He did explain why, but as I was putting the finishing touches to the dinner, at the time, I’m afraid it didn’t really register …….sorry Jannie!!!

Then on the last night we were just finishing our meal, when two bodies appeared in front of me and one of them said “Are you Val?”

It was Peregrine Falcon and Dassiedelight!!!We were so pleased to see them, and they stayed for a drink or two (or three!!) while we chatted like old friends that we’d known for years, even though we’d only just met!!

They are very knowledgeable about wildlife……..birds in particular, and it was a pleasure to spend some time with them.

Sadly we had to eventually let them go to cook their meal, and we had our usual coffee and Amarula, and looked up at the stars for the last time on this trip.

Then it was bed, and the anticipation of what the morning drive would bring, before we had to set off back to Upington.

Our last morning didn’t reveal much to us game wise, except a very hungry jackal, who had just caught his breakfast, and proceeded to eat it by the roadside!!

We also saw PG and DD again, and he pointed out a Greater Kestrel to us, so that was another lifer.

Then it was time bid farewell to this wonderful place called Kgalagadi, and with a little bit of red sand in the small glass bottle that Scouter had given me at the Melkbos meet, it will not be too long I’m sure, before we return, because it is sitting on the shelf in the lounge, so it’s there to remind me!!!